Worried about the secondary use of health data?

[rninformatics, DNP, RN]

From HMT eNews for Oct 18,2006

White Paper: What Price Data?

If you're worried about the secondary use of health data and how widespread and/or regulated it is, you should be. Read this. "Toward a National Framework for the Secondary Use of Health Data" was issued in September by the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), as a significant step in discussing and perhaps creating a framework to guide the secondary use of health data in the future. "Secondary" use refers to data utilization that is not directly involved in patient care, but may include research, analysis, quality measurement, provider accreditation, marketing, public health or safety measurement purposes.

While AMIA admits that the report of its working conference is but a first step, the organization paints a foreboding portrait of the potential for data disasters without appropriate guidelines and policies. "The current lack of coherent policies and practices for the secondary use of health data presents a significant impediment to the goal of transforming the U.S. health system. Further, the increased focus on improving capabilities for secondary use of health data, combined with the growing volume of data, heightens the urgency to commence transparent and public dialogue about appropriate secondary use of health data." In the spring, AMIA convened an expert panel to begin that public dialogue, and its report emanates from that panel's working meetings. Only 14 pages of the 24-page PDF constitute the panel's report--the rest are membership lists and appendices--and they are worth reading. Go here to access the report -

http://www.amia.org/inside/initiatives/healthdata/finalpapertowardanationalframeworkforthesecondaryuseofhealthdata_09_08_06_.pdf